Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Old Woman of the Sea


[image source google: Pacifica (BCN)]

The Old Woman of the Sea
surveys the cloudscape,
while the wind billows her cape
as she stands atop a dune
from early morning until noon
watching the waves break.

The Old Woman of the Sea,
she feels a sadness,
for the times that are no more,
for all that came before,
for all the losses
as she stood waving goodbye 
on the shore.

But  the Old Woman and the Sea
-this the Wind did tell to me -
joy also rises,
for the times that came before
have filled her spirit More,
suffering bringing wisdom
in life's disguises.

The Old Woman of the Sea,
she is a wild one.
She has a poet's heart,
she took too long to get this smart,
but the old woman of the sea
-and this the Wind did tell to me -
the winding path that led her to the sea
is the route it took to set her spirit free.

The Old Woman loves the sea
and feels joy rising:
so much beauty everywhere,
she can only stand and stare,
at a loveliness almost too great to bear.

The Old Woman of the sea,
she is a traveler,
back and forth to the seashore,
to memories of time before,
her heart beating to the rhythm of the sea
and - this the wind did finally tell to me -
she knows all is as it was always meant to be.

18 comments:

  1. Oh, I love this, Sherry. How I miss the ocean!
    Did I tell you about going back to Kelowna to work for the Courier in '65? I missed the ocean so much, I thought I'd burst. The lake just sat there. It just sat there, with no tide, no seaweed, no starfish, just trout now and then, and maybe Ogopogo, and maybe not.

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie’s Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  2. Such a sense of connectedness pervades this poem. It is a joy to feel a part of the whole: the sea, the land, the sky and all that lies between. Stirring writing.

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  3. I can truly identify with this, dear Sherry. We have a longing in our hearts that only words can assuage... but never cure.

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  4. The sea is eternal. D always loved the ocean, felt so peaceful there. It always awed me to look into the ocean, to realize its vastness. Your poem gives me a feeling of sadness, Sherry. Please don't consider yourself an old woman. My dad always said "old is ten years older than you are." I follow his philosophy.

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  5. A (wo)man is never lost at sea.
    --Hemingway

    "and this the Wind did tell to me" - beautiful Sherry!

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  6. This piece fills the reader, Sherry. Epic, it illustrates connection and evolution (both spiritual and personal) as it melodically entertains. Inspired and inspiring.

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  7. A poet's heart; a traveler. I hope I am such when I grow old. This poem got me thinking about where I'm going and what I want when I get there. Truly wonderful writing! Amy
    http://sharplittlepencil.wordpress.com/2011/10/24/not-me-never-again-abc-weds/

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  8. Lovely painting of her life and still her journey to take ~ I like the use of the sea and its wisdom after all of life's challenges ~

    Happy Sunday ~

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  9. Such a poem of affirmation. I liked all the various rhyming lines and think it must be some kind of form (but I never do seem to recognize what forms!). It had the feeling of a song to me. I have missed quite a few poem posting while I have been away. It is nice to get back.

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  10. This poem could be a portrait of my spirit! So beautifully threaded with pieces of life!

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  11. I like the many images here, with so many powerfully evoking the sense of time passing and awareness growing. Beautifully written.

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  12. We only get to be so wise when we've lived and learned our life lessons, don't we?
    She had to live the life she did to learn the knowledge that she has. She is wise and filled with secrets of life that so many young ones never see. Water, any type, is one of my most fav topics (other than the moon)
    Another fabulous read from you Sherry.

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  13. enchanting, incantatory verse...wonderfully done in your own best style.
    Have you read Riders to the Sea?Read if you can. Your poem reminded me of Maurya, the mother-figure in the play.

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  14. I pictured a woman made out of water.

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  15. I like the wistfulness of this poem, and the promise mentioned too...of wisdom obtained through suffering. I also enjoyed the visual of her waving goodbye to losses from the shore. Nice :)

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  16. Your words mussed my hair and I liked it. Blow wind blow those memories by once more.

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  17. I found the perfect photo for you here - enjoy!
    http://titirangistoryteller.wordpress.com/2012/06/15/sweet-relief/

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